Kindertransport – Rescuing Children on the Brink of War

Kindertransport––Rescuing Children on the Brink of War, a major exhibition on view July 22–October 31, 2021, at the American Swedish Institute (ASI), illuminates the story of the Kindertransport (German for “Children’s Transport”). This astonishingly successful rescue effort brought approximately 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi Germany to Great Britain and other countries, including Sweden, between 1938 and 1939.  The exhibition explores the children’s difficult and often heartbreaking journeys through original artifacts, audio testimonies and moving personal stories. The regional debut of this exhibition is accompanied by The Story is Here, developed by ASI, which features the experiences of Midwest families impacted by the Kindertransport.

Kindertransport––Rescuing Children on the Brink of War is brought to life by objects that the children took with them such as letters between parents and children and clothing, tied to a series of dramatic stories that link the exhibition’s materials to the era’s broader context. At the core are topics that are still familiar from today’s headlines: antisemitism, record numbers of refugees, the separation of families, immigration and dislocation. Kindertransport was created and organized by Yeshiva University Museum and the Leo Baeck Institute – New York|Berlin. It is being collaboratively presented in Minnesota by the Greenberg Family Fund for Holocaust Awareness at Beth El Synagogue, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), and ASI. It was exhibited previously at the Center for Jewish History in New York and Holocaust Memorial Center in Michigan.

See ASI's website for a complete list of related events, tours, and talks.

ASI is located at 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota  55407. The ASI Museum, Museum Store and FIKA Café new hours are Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ASImn.org or call 612-871-4907.